The CEO of Cambridge Analytica was suspended by the research firm’s board of directors on Tuesday following a video published by a London media outlet that showed him discussing the use of bribes and prostitutes to sway political elections.
The board said in a statement that Alexander Nix would be suspended pending a “full, independent investigation.”
{mosads}“In the view of the Board, Mr. Nix’s recent comments secretly recorded by Channel 4 and other allegations do not represent the values or operations of the firm and his suspension reflects the seriousness with which we view this violation,” the statement says.
Channel 4 News in London published an undercover video on Monday of Nix discussing how his firm engaging in dirty tricks for political clients, like recording videos of operatives offering their opponents bribes.
“I mean deep digging is interesting, but you know equally effective can be just to go and speak to the incumbents and to offer them a deal that’s too good to be true and make sure that’s video recorded you know,” Nix can be heard saying. “These sorts of tactics are very effective.”
Nix tells the journalist, posing as a potential Sri Lankan client, that the company could also send “some girls around to the candidate’s house” to put him in a compromising position.
Cambridge has denied engaging in any of the tactics described in the video.
The move also follows reports that the firm, which did work for the Trump campaign, had improperly obtained data on 50 million Facebook users without their consent. The company has denied any wrongdoing and said that the data was not used to help elect the president.
The reports have invited heavy scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic for Facebook and Cambridge.
Updated at 3:50 p.m.